The Great Disappointment

Why you as an Adventist can have joy today.

As of me writing this we are 180 years removed from the number one defining moment in the Seventh day Adventist churches history. On October 22 1844 the then Millerite movement waited anxiously for the second coming of Jesus. They had deducted from their study of scripture that He was supposed to come and cleanse the earth on that exact day. And here we are 180 years later with a worldwide church that spans the globe. How did we go from waiting on ascension rock to operating our little churches on sabbath morning, praying for more youth to join us. Arguing over what color we should use for the foyer carpet. Participating in long drawn out board meetings. And singing the same hymns they did in the 70s ( No hate there I promise. I love We have this Hope ). What I hope to do right now is remind us of what it is that happened on that fateful day and give us a very practical call to action.

It was the middle of the 1830s and William Miller, a baptist farmer, lay preacher and former Deist had been studying a very crucial verse. Daniel 8:14.

“And he said to me, “For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.”

Miller poured over the verse seeking an interpretation for it. Using the year to day principle of prophetic interpretation ( I am sorry, we can discuss this principle later ). He interpreted the verse to be talking about the Second coming of Jesus in 2300 years. That fell on October 22, 1844. Now as I sit here writing this I can obviously see that Miller was wrong, namely in the fact that Jesus still hasn’t come back, But how?

He believed that the sanctuary spoken of was the earth, thus the earth was going to be cleansed. He believed this unquestioningly as did everyone he preached this message to. The message caught fire and began to spread around the world but was especially strong in the eastern part of the United States where he originated from.

When October 22nd came and went it led to the most discouraging spiritual disappointment that caused many to abandon their faith entirely. And the group splintered into many fragments. There was one group however that stayed gathered together and despite the disappointment, desired to understand where they went wrong. I love what one Hiram Edson said in a personal letter on October 23, 1844.

“I mused in my heart, saying: ‘My advent experience has been the brightest of all my Christian experience…….Has the Bible proved a failure? Is there no God, no heaven, no golden city, no paradise? Is all this but a cunningly devised fable? Is there no reality to our fondest hopes and expectations?”

And I believe that 180 years later many young people, pastors, administrators and even just the casual attendee ask ourselves the same questions. We experience such a wonderful community and our experience within Adventism really is the “brightest of all our Christian experiences”. But we wonder if we really got the interpretation right so long ago? If we were wrong once, surely we could be wrong again.

The month following October 22nd led to intense study of the scriptures and a realization that where they had gone wrong was in how they interpreted the sanctuary. While previously preached as being the earth they came to the conclusion that it was speaking of an actual physical sanctuary in heaven. And on October 22, 1844 Jesus transitioned His high priestly ministry from the Holy Place into the Most Holy Place. That meant that we are now living in the Anti typical day of atonement, are within an ongoing judgment process and the second coming of Jesus is imminent. The early pioneers hearts were filled with hope and joy once more. Even though they had been wrong on the event, the calculations of the date were correct and they could now move forward with confidence and joy.

I look around at my church today and I think I see a similar underlying disappointment. We believe that our calculations are still correct to this day. We believe in the second coming of Jesus and we are acutely aware of the signs passing before our eyes indicating His nearness. And yet it is that nearness that disappoints us, because we wonder where is Jesus. We are suffering from a case of “So close and yet so far”. I think it’s has led many to even question the importance of the proper interpretation of Daniel anyway. Are we not supposed to simply preach the gospel anyway? What is the point today in the 2300 day prophecy and the sanctuary truth even if it is correct?

As much as I would like to I cannot break down all the inter-workings of the sanctuary doctrine and the investigative judgment belief right here. But I would like to offer a perspective that may alleviate some of the stress and anxiousness that comes with living day by day awaiting the return of Jesus at “any movement”.

If the Millerite movement was correct and the calculations made on the 70 week and 2300 day prophecies still hold up then Jesus is currently within the Most Holy Place ministering on our behalf, pleading His blood for us. Is the judgment almost finished? I hope so. But currently we are living in the anti typical day of atonement. Every morning granted us is another opportunity to turn our hearts to God, devote ourselves body, mind and souls to Him and allow Him into our hearts to change and transform us and prepare us for Heaven. The blood of the sacrifice had already been shed, there is no sacrifice for you to prepare. There is no offering for you to bring, no gift to offer God. We simply stand each day as participants in the Judgment and allow Jesus, by virtue of us choosing Him, to plead for us using His own shed blood.

When referring to the sanctuary I always love reading Exodus 25:8 because I think it always places the emphasis where it should be. It says

“Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them”

Notice the entire point of God commanding Israel to build a sanctuary and thus the whole purpose of the sanctuary in heaven is so that God, himself can be with us personally. He desires to be with His people, He desires nearness. And so right now currently we are able to experience the maximum amount of nearness to Christ because of where He is located and what he is doing.

Adventists have for to long held this belief that because we are in the day of atonement we have to make sure and take it seriously and “live the right way” so that we pass the judgment test when Jesus calls your name up. He is “investigating” your life to make sure you are living the right way is what we have said. I believe that preachers and teachers that have taught like that only read the first line of Exodus 25:8. “ Then have them make me a sanctuary……” They stop there and they are entirely focused on the task that they need to accomplish and the instructions to do so.

What I hope we as Adventists can begin to do is to focus on the second line. “And I will dwell among them.”. That is the entire point of it all. Jesus is doing all the work, currently as we speak. I think it’s amazing that we have such a clear understanding of what is going on right now but even in that it’s not about us at all. So my call to action as we reflect on our history is to simply let Christ do what Christ is doing. He was the sacrifice. The blood has been shed. And now, today let that blood be applied to your life. You are a son and daughter of God and He wants with all His heart to dwell with you. There is nothing more for us to do but to choose Him.

To me, that is the opposite of disappointment.